


Costumes and Confessions

by SapphicScholar



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst, Danvers Sisters, F/F, Fluff, Minor Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer, halloween party, supercat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-27 12:20:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12581784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SapphicScholar/pseuds/SapphicScholar
Summary: When a Halloween invitation from Carter and Cat Grant arrives in the mail after months of silence, Kara is forced to deal with her feelings and decide what it might mean to dive in another direction.Idk I’m shit at descriptions, but there’s a big of angst, a bit of fluff, and a hint of smut to come, so I promise good times all around.





	Costumes and Confessions

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Set in S2 before Cat’s end of season return but completely ignoring a certain alien who arrived in a pod and need not be included

Kara stared at the invitation in her hand, drumming her fingers against the countertop as she tried to figure out whether it was some kind of forgery—perhaps a Mischief Night prank that didn’t involve the usual toilet paper thrown across tree branches and eggs tossed at houses. Surely—surely, Cat’s way of reaching out after so many months away would involve more than an invitation to a Halloween party signed by both Carter and, Kara assumed, a rather begrudging Cat. She could at least that it was printed on cardstock as nice as the stuff Cat normally insisted upon, though it lacked the usual CatCo watermark. 

As she debated the merits of reaching out to Cat to confirm that surely she had received the invitation by mistake, that surely Cat hadn’t returned from her many months away—months where Kara could have used her guidance, her advice, her help and, dare she say it, friendship—only to throw a Halloween party, her phone trilled. 

“Hello?”

“Hey,” Alex’s voice crackled through the line, the sound of Maggie calling out a greeting in the background. “I know you said something about using your day off for cleaning, but I wanted to see if you wanted some company for lunch.”

Kara grinned. It had taken a little while for Alex to find the right balance between her new relationship with Maggie and her existing commitments—and Kara certainly wouldn’t begrudge Alex her newfound happiness now that she was out and had come into her own, even if she sometimes missed how easy it used to be for Alex to drop everything and come over whenever she was feeling down—but they’d found a new balance. Kara had learned that it was no longer a good idea to swoop in through the large bay windows unannounced, and Alex had realized that, as much as she loved Maggie, they didn’t need to spend every second together for that level of commitment to still hold true. And now that she got along a bit better with Maggie, Kara found that she enjoyed having the couple over too, relishing in the chance to see Alex taking her advice to heart and letting herself be open to love and other people, to living that full, happy life she’d promised Kara she would try to find.

“Yeah, that sounds great,” Kara agreed, figuring she could use a burst of superspeed to get the living room back in order in time for them to come over. Sure, it wasn’t the slow, methodical deep-cleaning she found soothed her anxiety when life felt like it was on just the wrong side of overwhelming, when she could have used nothing more than one of Cat’s slightly acerbic pep talks that always got right to the heart of just what was bothering her, but it would do.

“Perfect, we’ll pick up pizza and be there in twenty.”

With a quick goodbye, Kara put down the invitation to deal with at a later time and sped through the living room, distributing her newly organized piles into drawers and cabinets until the room looked perfectly clean. As she debated the merits of rearranging the furniture, she heard the sound of Alex and Maggie’s voices down the hallway. Swinging open the door before they could knock, Kara pulled them inside, hugging Alex as hard as she knew she could and letting the touch ground her in a way that few other things on this planet did. 

“Damn, it looks so clean,” Maggie whistled, giving the apartment an appraising once over. 

“So, what’d Snapper say this time?” Alex asked. She knew well enough from having shared a room with Kara over the years that things only reached this level of clean and organized when something was bothering her.

“Nothing.” Seeing Alex’s knowing look, Kara shrugged, her gaze dropping to her hands as she picked at her nails. “Just something about how I’m not getting better—I keep turning in the same biased op-eds when I’m supposed to be writing news.”

“Are you still covering the anti-alien attacks?” 

“Yeah,” Kara admitted. 

Stepping closer to her little sister and throwing an arm around her, Alex kissed her forehead. “Of course it’s hard for you to try to write only the facts when you’re this passionate. You know things and have experienced things that other journalists haven’t. And you know my offer to come threaten this bald little man still stands. Always.”

Kara snorted, shaking her head. “I should probably fight this one on my own.”

“If I know your sister—and I think I do—I know she’s not kidding about those offers. Plus, I prefer a pro-alien bias to my news,” Maggie added with a wink.

Figuring Kara could use more in the way of distraction and less discussion of Snapper, Alex motioned to the pizzas Maggie was still holding. “We come bearing food.”

“Did you get the garlic knots this time?”

“After the guilt trip we got last time, you really think we’d forget?” Alex teased, motioning for Maggie to drop the pizza off on the counter, while she pulled out plates and napkins.

“Ooh, what’s this?” Maggie asked, gesturing to the invitation left on the counter. “Got a Halloween party you’re not inviting us to?”

Plucking the invitation away from Maggie before Alex could see, Kara shook her head. “Nothing. Besides, you already have your big Halloween party.”

“Big gay Halloween party,” Maggie corrected.

“Well, I didn’t want to make assumptions.”

“No, that’s literally the name of the party. Well, party and drag show—which just makes the party better.”

“So what are you two going as?”

“We were supposed to be Danny and Sandy,” Alex began, narrowing her eyes as she looked at Maggie. “But someone decided she also wanted to be Danny.”

“Everyone knows gay Halloween is about looking cool, and leather jackets, skinny jeans, and white t-shirts are definitely the best way to do that.”

“It’s literally your outfit most days!”

“Because I’m super cool!”

Seizing the opportunity while Alex and Maggie were distracted, Kara dumped most of the garlic knots onto her plate and made her way over to the table. 

“Not so quick!” Alex called out, rolling her eyes at Kara’s attempts to look innocent.

“If you want me to ignore the fact that you took most of our food, you should at least tell me who sent the invitation you’re trying so hard to hide.”

After a moment of debating whether it might be worth it to hand over one or two of her garlic knots, Kara finally admitted in a quiet voice: “Carter…and Cat.”

“Who?” Maggie asked, not yet well-versed in deciphering Kara’s mumbling.

“Cat Grant?” Alex asked, eying her sister incredulously. “What happened to her living in some yurt in the middle of the mountains?”

“I guess she came back. But I don’t know if it’s even real.”

“Well then let me see it.”

“No.”

“Why? Did she write you some special note with your invitation telling you about how smart and talented and astonishing you were?” Maggie looked slightly confused, but Alex kept going, teasing Kara as her cheeks flushed a light pink. “Or does she want you to dare and dive right into her Halloween party?”

“That sounds incredibly gay,” Maggie mused, watching as Kara flushed an even brighter shade of pink. 

“She just signed it. I think Carter’s the one who actually wants me there.”

“What happened to your whole speech about how things between you and Cat had really changed? I distinctly remember you gushing about getting a promotion and an office and a hug and, oh god, how could I forget, she even used your real name!”

“Yeah, well, then she left,” Kara snapped, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall. Cat had told her to dive and be brave, but she’d left her alone; she wasn’t there waiting on the shore to call out encouragement or help her know in which direction to swim. Instead she’d thrown her off the ledge and left her, and Kara didn’t feel like she was thriving and coming out a new and better version of herself; instead she felt like Icarus, launched into the sky with encouragement that melted and burned up into nothingness as Cat’s guiding hands—the words and wisdom that kept her from flying too close to the sun—vanished with barely a warning.

Maggie busied herself with finding drinks in the kitchen while Alex wrapped Kara up in her arms. “I doubt that’s what she meant to do.”

Kara sniffled, letting Alex hold her the way she had when she first made her way to the Danvers home—a lost kid without a planet, without a family, without even the mission and sense of purpose that had driven her this far. “It’s what happened, though.”

“I know. And it sucks. Trust me, I’m not Cat’s biggest fan.” Kara snorted at that understatement. Alex had loathed the woman through Kara’s entire first year at CatCo, and on more than one occasion had been ready to storm in and demand the CEO treat her sister better. “But…I can admit that by the end of it, she did right by you. And I’m sure that somehow in that perfectly styled head of hers, she thinks she was doing right by you by leaving too.”

“How? How could that possibly be helping me?”

“I thought I was helping you by encouraging you not to come out as Supergirl,” Alex shrugged, her attempt at nonchalance belied by the haunted look in her eyes, her guilt still evident even now when she knew Kara had forgiven her for doing what she thought was necessary for her protection.

“I guess.”

“So, why don’t you tell us more about this party?” Alex motioned for Maggie, who was still lingering in the kitchen, to come back and join them.

“I don’t even know what it is. It’s tomorrow night at Cat’s beach house. Apparently costumes are mandatory.”

“So you’re going, right?” Alex asked at the same time as Maggie wiggled her eyebrows and asked, “So is it a date?”

“Excuse me?” Alex and Kara exclaimed in unison. 

“She told you how amazing you were. She invited you to dive into her waters or something gay like that.”

“Just dive,” Kara corrected, ignoring Alex’s wide eyes.

“Still super gay. And then the first thing she does when she gets back in town is to invite you to some party at her house. And not her National City apartment, but her house out on the coast, where she totally could have hidden herself away if she didn’t want her employees or anyone to know she was back.”

“I—I don’t think it’s like that,” Kara insisted, shaking her head as if to convince herself that the suggestion was ridiculous. Had she harbored a crush on the woman for a while now? Sure. But that was only natural—she was freakin’ Cat Grant. She was gorgeous and successful and brilliant. Who wouldn’t have a crush on her? But the idea that Cat might like her back? Well, that was just ludicrous. 

“Plus, Cat’s straight,” Alex added. “She’s been married multiple times—and always to men.”

“So were you, sweetie,” Maggie reminded Alex, flashing a shit-eating grin up at her. “Besides, who knows, maybe she’s bi or pan or just head over heels in love with National City’s resident superhero.”

“I don’t think she knows I’m Supergirl—we convinced her that Kara and Supergirl were two different people.”

Maggie kept her mouth shut, though she couldn’t quite disguise the skeptical expression. She couldn’t imagine how a woman as astute as Cat Grant who worked in such close proximity to Kara and covered every single daring exploit of Supergirl’s wouldn’t be able to put two and two together, but she’d learned that it was better to let the Danvers women admit to these things on their own timeline. 

“But you’re going, right? Why would you give up the opportunity to see her after all that time away?”

“I don’t know…what if she doesn’t really want to see me?”

“I might not know the woman as well as you do, but I don’t think Cat Grant is the type to let someone make decisions for her—especially if she really doesn’t want to do something.”

“Carter’s always been her weak spot.”

“Still, mothers have a way of laying down the law if it’s something genuinely important.”

“I guess.”

“So you should go,” Maggie declared, smiling and folding her hands in front of her as thought the matter were perfectly settled. 

“I don’t have a costume…” Kara trailed off, looking nervous at the excited glint in Maggie’s eyes.

“Don’t you worry, little Danvers. Cat won’t believe what hit her!”

\---

The next night, Kara paced nervously up and around the block one over from Cat’s beach house. She tugged down her jean shorts and shirt, feeling like even the more appropriate version of Harley Quinn’s costume was still quite a bit skimpier than she liked—though she’d chosen it in a heartbeat over the proffered spandex Catwoman suit, knowing better than to wear anything Cat-themed around Cat. She swung the baseball bat by her feet until the wood creaked under her grip, releasing it before the whole thing could splinter and leave her with an incomplete costume. Noting a large group of guests pulling up in front of Cat’s place, Kara sprinted to catch up with them, hoping she could blend in and slip into the party relatively unnoticed. Maybe she could just go say hi to Carter and then hightail it out of there…

As she watched the SUV unload, though, she saw only a group of kids Carter’s age, followed by a mere two adults—one of whom was dressed normally, while the other simply wore a witch hat overtop of a perfectly normal, decidedly “mom” outfit. Kara gulped, feeling every bit the part of Elle Woods in a costume that suddenly felt much too revealing, even if she’d flown past much skimpier costumes on her way over. Deciding it would be better to go in alone than have to face judgmental parents, Kara waited until the kids had settled in and the parents had driven away before slipping over to the front door and ringing the bell. After a moment, it swung open, revealing Carter dressed as a bow-tied Dr. Who complete with a Tardis friend, who ran off as soon as he realized the guest wasn’t another kid from their class. 

He beamed and threw his arms around her as soon as he realized who it was. “Kara! You made it!”

“Of course, bud! How could I miss it?”

“Well, I know we sent your invitation a little late…I got worried…”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. Really,” Kara insisted. “I’m sure as a timelord, you have plenty of other very important things to worry about.”

Looking bashful, Carter dropped his gaze down before realizing they were still in the doorway. “Oh! Come in!”

Kara stepped in and shut the door behind her, looking around as she took in the house she hadn’t visited in what felt like ages. 

“Mom’s down in the kitchen. The games are downstairs, but it’s mainly the kids.”

Kara took a few deep breaths before finally leaning in and whispering, “Do you think your mom knows I’m coming?”

Carter shrugged. “She thought you might have better things to do, which is why she told me not to send an invitation.”

Kara nodded, steeling herself to go surprise Cat, knowing full well Cat hated surprises. 

“I think she wanted you here though,” Carter added, shrugging and looking too wise for his age, as though he could see every one of Kara’s fears written on her face. 

“Well, wish me luck. Have fun tonight, Carter!” 

“You too!”

Figuring now was as good of a time as any, Kara squared her shoulders and marched back into the kitchen. She found Cat with her back to the doorway, sitting on one of the barstools and looking out over the ocean. “This isn’t quite the yurt I expected,” Kara managed, grateful that her voice had remained fairly steady.

With a wry laugh, Cat spun around, freezing for a moment at the sight of her former assistant in an outfit that was a far cry from the Old Navy Cardigans and ill-fitting pants she normally wore. “Decide to play a villain for a change?”

“For a change?” Kara asked with a strained laugh.

“Mm, still playing with that old charade,” Cat muttered before speaking up. “Can I offer you anything? Glass of wine? Scotch?”

“Wine would be nice, thank you.”

Cat filled a glass and handed it over before settling back down onto the stool as the room descended into an uneasy silence. 

Finally Kara broke the tension. “Why are you back?”

“Is a Halloween party not enough of a reason?”

Feeling emboldened, Kara simply arched an eyebrow in return.

“Fine. There were…perhaps, a few things I’d left unfinished in National City. And before I move into the next stage of my own diving, as it were, I thought it best to come back.”

“So are you coming back to CatCo?”

“No, no,” Cat shook her head. “Those weren’t the things I left unfinished.”

“No, you just left me there,” Kara mumbled, quickly covering her mouth with her glass as she sipped her wine. 

“Left you there? Kara, I left you in a job I knew you would excel at under the direction of one of the best in the business.”

“He’s hard to handle,” Kara retorted.

“So am I.”

“It’s different.”

“He’ll make you into a seasoned reporter.”

“He’s not you!” Kara finally snapped, blushing a faint shade of pink but refusing to back down. “He wasn’t the mentor I needed when everything else was already changing.”

“Kiera—”

“It’s Kara. I know you know.”

“But you’re still going to pretend like you’re only Kara?”

Kara clenched her jaw. “What do you want me to tell you?”

“The truth.”

“Why? So you can fire me again? Abandon me again?”

With a deep breath, Cat gestured to the door that led to the small balcony overlooking the ocean. “It’s not quite 40 stories up, but the view compares.” Kara followed Cat out onto the balcony, perching her wine glass on the railing as she leaned over, breathing in the salty sea breeze. 

“I—my reaction was not, perhaps, ideal.” Kara bit back a snort. “I thought that, after all the time we spent together, after how I had tried to support Supergirl, how I had tried to support you, even if I didn’t always show it in the best of ways, that you might trust me enough to tell me.”

“It’s not that simple.” Kara knew the implicit admission was there, but she couldn’t bring herself to care, knowing Cat knew, knowing she was simply waiting for the confirmation. 

“After Myriad I think I understand that better. But I was hurt, and so I lashed out. I’m sure Lois or Adam or any number of my ex-husbands could tell you it’s what I do best.”

“It’s not—no, Cat, it’s not all that you are.”

“Cat, is it?”

“If we’re dropping the charade…”

“I suppose Supergirl already calls me Cat, why shouldn’t Harley Quinn get the same privilege,” Cat mused, the corner of her mouth curling up slightly. 

Kara rolled her eyes but felt some of the tension ease out of her shoulders. It wasn’t just a repeat of how things were before; Cat knew—she knew and she wasn’t yelling, wasn’t firing her. Of course, there wasn’t the same charged moment of reveal—the slow removing of her glasses and awestruck expression, the soft smile and whispered thank you that left Cat close enough to touch, to kiss…

Pulling herself out of her musings, Kara shook her head. “Where’s your costume? What happened to them being mandatory?”

“Well, if you haven’t noticed, this is primarily a party for Carter’s classmates.”

“Is he doing better with making friends?”

Cat couldn’t help the soft smile; it was so like Kara to be thinking about Carter even now. “You know, his adventures with Supergirl helped to bolster his confidence. And being able to say he hugged the Girl of Steel did win him over a few admirers.”

“I do give pretty excellent hugs.”

Cat couldn’t quite help the way her mind drifted to a few other things the Girl of Steel might do exceptionally well. “Mm, yes, they were adequate.”

Kara bit back a smile and shook her head slightly. “So, if this was mainly a party for Carter’s friends, why am I here?”

“I think he likes to think you two are friends.”

“Fine, but he knew I wouldn’t be down in the basement with him and his classmates.”

“No…I think he knew that—that I wanted to see you too.”

“Just to confirm the things you already knew?” Kara asked, her voice a bit lower, knowing she was slipping into uncharted territory, knowing she could send things careening off course in all the worst of ways, but unable to find it within herself to stop. She was Icarus flying toward the sun once more, only this time, she suspected, flying close enough to its orbit might destroy her and remake her in one go in the best of ways. 

“There was a part of me that wanted to know if you might tell me now—now that I’m not your boss, won’t be your boss, won’t even own CatCo anymore in a few short months.”

“What?” Kara gasped.

“It’s neither here nor there—simply part of my own diving into new waters.”

Seeing the determination not to delve into that particular subject at the moment, Kara pressed: “So you know now. Is that all you wanted?”

“If you’re still asking, I think you know it isn’t.”

“So why is it that you wanted to see me, if not just to confirm that I am exactly the person you always hoped I was?”

“You’ve always been her, Kara. It didn’t take that suit to make you exceptional.”

“So why, Cat?”

“I told you, I left certain things unfinished here. I left certain things unsaid…” Kara looked up at her expectantly, stepping just a little closer, leaving a scant few inches between them. “I can’t be the only one to dive here. I can’t be the one to push you into diving for me, either.”

Smiling softly at Cat’s consideration, Kara inched closer, nearly closing the distance between them. “Then dive with me.”

Before Cat could make a snarky remark about that metaphor becoming a bit overdone, Kara was leaning forward, and she felt herself drawn to her by some sort of inexorable pull. The soft press of lips was somehow more than she had ever imagined it might be, and as Kara let herself relax, let her strong arms slip around Cat’s small waist and pull her closer, Cat found her hands cupping at Kara’s jaw, drawing her in and kissing her deeper. The taste of expensive red wine and cheap Halloween candy mingled with something that was undeniably Kara, and Cat felt dizzy with the thrill of it all. As Kara’s tongue flicked across her lower lip, she couldn’t help the small whimper—a noise that seemed to inspire Kara as she swept Cat off her feet and into her arms.

“If you’re taking me upstairs, I want that ridiculous outfit gone.”

“Outside? Seems a little inappropriate, Ms. Grant,” Kara teased, ignoring the eyeroll and using her free hand to at least pull her hair from the high pigtails, letting it cascade into soft waves that Cat soon tangled her hand in, pulling the woman forward once more. “Is that good enough to earn a place upstairs with you?”

“It’ll do. Now come on, Supergirl, up, up, and away.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on Tumblr @sapphicscholarwrites


End file.
